Gauny joins City Council race

David Gauny, an outspoken critic of the local hospital’s expansion, has decided to run for a seat on the Santa Clarita City Council in April 2010.

“I’m running against the incumbents,” Gauny said Thursday. “The incumbents have the easiest in.”

Mayor Frank Ferry and council members Laurene Weste and Marsha McLean are running for re-election.

The Valencia Summit resident declined to comment on his reasons for running, and said he was planning a news conference at City Hall this morning.

A mortgage professional by trade, Gauny was most recognizable over the last few years as the head of Smart Growth SCV. The grassroots group was formed in response to concerns about the scope of Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital’s master plan.

Gauny said Smart Growth has remained relatively dormant. He said he has been involved in discussions among some Valencia residents who appealed the Planning Commission’s approval of a proposed Sheraton hotel at the corner of Valencia Boulevard and McBean Parkway.

To date, TimBen Boydston is the only other candidate in the race for a seat on the council. Boydston is the executive director of the Canyon Theatre Guild.